On this day 147 years ago, the national cemetery at Gettysburg, Pennsylvania was dedicated, less than five months after the momentous battle was fought. According to Ronald C. White in his biography, “A. Lincoln”, the dedication was supposed to have occurred on October 23, 1863. One month before that, organizers…
Read More »
Jim Peters sent along the following essay about the challenges that face a city manager in Lowell: I was in Chelmsford most of this week for some period of time and one thing I noticed was their trash pickup. They do not have to cram into their one can: trash…
Read More »
Tony Sampas found an open gate and some stairs leading downward at the Moody Street Bridge, now known as the University Avenue Bridge, and snapped these photos:
Read More »
By filing a Declaration of Homestead at the Registry of Deeds, a Massachusetts homeowner is able to protect the equity in his home from the laws of debt collection. The Homestead has been available for more than a century and there’s really no downside – it’s purpose is to prevent…
Read More »
Tony Sampas photographs the “tunnels” – pedestrian walkways over the canal – that connect Lowell High School’s buildings.
Read More »
There were some interesting comments on my Tuesday post on City Councilor Patrick Murphy’s successful motion to have the Rules Subcommittee “discuss Charter Changes to increase civic participation.” It might be helpful to review how the city’s charter has changed through the years. Lowell was organized as a town in…
Read More »
I spent today in meetings at the Worcester Registry of Deeds but was privileged to have lunch at one of that city’s fine dining establishments – George’s Coney Island Hot Dogs. Coney Island is to Worcester as Elliot’s is to Lowell. If you find yourself in Worcester, check this place…
Read More »
Tony Sampas looks at some windows in Lowell: Off Middle Street (above) and in the John Street Garage (below)
Read More »
Every Tuesday I call Jack Baldwin on WCAP’s midday program to give an update on the latest real estate statistics. Yesterday we received a number of calls from Lowell homeowners who lived next to foreclosed and abandoned properties that had fallen into disrepair, thereby diminishing the value of all the…
Read More »
The December 2010 edition of The Atlantic has an article “Your Child Left Behind” that looks at how students in individual American states compare with students in other countries. Measuring the percentage of students who scored Advanced in standardized math proficiency tests, the study that’s the subject of the article…
Read More »